House Tour: David's Andersonville Apartment

David has this huge place all to himelf. He's been busy curating a home that is warm, filled with humor and style. His apartment is dramatic and glamorous, yet in this case that doesn't preclude a feeling that is also friendly and fun (one of the original photos he sent us is of a "waffle party" taking place in the living room).

David is a collector, a lover of art and curiosities. He shops high ticket (Holly Hunt) and low (free! from his Mom's garage and basement) and everywhere in between. To name a few: estate sales on the North Shore, IKEA, Ms. Hunt's sample sales, Target and the School of the Art Institute annual sale.

When he finds something he loves, he makes it work; he bought a Victorian parlor chair that someone decided to turn into a latrine chair. He says, "I found it and thought it was the coolest thing ever....and spent more on having the fabric and tacks redone and the chair reglued than I spent on buying the actual chair."

He also knows what will and will not work for him, and a skimpy closet wasn't cutting it. He converted the larger master bedroom into a dressing room, which in his own words, "always looks like a nightmare but it helps me to keep the rest of the place tidy."

A mix of classic Chicago apartment architecture, personal style, art, fabulous furniture and color - Thanks David for this look into your home!

my Style: is an eclectic mix of furnishings that are geared to not drain my wallet but reflect my ‘high pomp’ personality.

the Inspiration for my home: can be summed up as ‘lots of crap on the walls.’

favorite Element: is the moderately creepy baby head sculpture on the fireplace mantel. I fell in love with it at the artist's studio and told him to hold it for me. Unknown to me, my good friend went in and bought it as a gift; I was very bummed out when the artist would not sell it to me but overjoyed when I opened up a package a few months later.

biggest Challenge in designing my home: was working in all of the trim details in the space. I love the arts and craft styled detailing, but it made the rooms feel very busy when the walls were all white.

what Friends Say: usually revolves around it being a little too perfect. I get a lot of ‘Martha Stewart’ comments, but I think I have my own style.

biggest Embarassment: is probably the ever present pile of dry cleaning heaped in a corner of the dressing room. Every time I go to the cleaners I take at least 100 dress shirts with me.

proudest DIY: is a toss up. I built a floor platform in the sunroom to level out a very uneven floor to make the space usable. I also love the huge lampshade that I hung over a very unattractive foyer ceiling fixture.

biggest Indulgence: is probably my decision to turn the master bedroom (twice as big as the second bedroom) into a walk in closet and dressing room. I would not let it be photographed because it always looks like a nightmare but it helps me to keep the rest of the place tidy.

best Advice given or received: is to take time to curate the objects you have. Regardless if you go to Holly Hunt or to Ikea, if you buy every object in a space from one resource your home will absolutely lack character.

myDream Source for stuff: would be a mixture of objects from Holly Hunt, Pavilion on Damen Avenue, and Swallowtail in San Francisco. Holly Hunt does a wide range of well crafted items, Pavilion shows pedigreed pieces from the 20s to the 70s that they import from Europe, and Swallowtail mixes some of the most unusual stuff (think original Phrenology heads and taxidermy goats) I have ever seen for sale.

Foyer:Sideboard is from mom’s basement.Vase is from Crate and Barrel.Red branches are painted olive wood from Jayson Home and Garden on North Clybourn.Lamp is from the Holly Hunt warehouse sale.Art is by Marc Chagall and was custom framed by Armand Lee on North Milwaukee.The red Jesus is actually flocked velvet and doubles as a bank. Everyone asks me where it was from and I actually got it as a housewarming present and have no clue.The paint I refer to as 'Bile' and is actually Benjamin Moore HC 16 Livingston Gold.

Dining Room:The sconces are from Crate and Barrel.The dining chairs are from Mom's basement again and were recovered by Eli Wyn on North Elston.The theater seat piece is from Pomegranate Home in Lakeside Michigan.The blinds are from Target and the curtains were custom made for a previous place.The table cloth was clearance from Target.

Kitchen:Counter units are from Ikea. I have oiled the tops weekly so they are actually water and stain proof now.Wall mounted dish rack is from Ikea and is very functional.The bowl on the counter is from the Brown Elephant on North Halsted Street.The platters are from everywhere; the really cool ones are from Scout on North Clark Street.The knife rack is from Ikea.The print in the pantry is by Howard Finster.The prints in the hallway are by Joe Cernius and Hai Sum.

Living Room:Chaise was custom made by Eli Wyn Upholstery on Elston and covered in mohair from Holly Hunt. Coffee table was bought at McDrew estate sales in Glencoe. They are a great company that does high end tag sales in the North Shore. I paid under $200 for the table.Gold armchair is from my mother's basement and was hand gilded and covered in Kravet paisley velvet fabric.Red armchair is one of a pair originally from the Cook County building in the loop from the 1930s and was purchased at Scout on North Clark Street.The yellow glass lamp is an original Venini piece from from the 1950s.The large copper finial was purchased from Revival on Irving Park.The area rug is a 1920s wool fake Persian that I purchased from a frat college boy off of Craig's List.The tall flower vase is from Crate and Barrel Outlet.The small stereo is a wonderful JVC piece. Will Truman of Will and Grace has the same one and it has the best sound ever for a little thing. This is the second one I have had, the first died and I bought this replacement on Ebay.The round mirror object is actually the bottom on a chandelier, turned sideways and purchased from the Artist Frame Service Outlet.The white drawing with a putty colored mat is a Georges Braque piece from the early 1950s and was framed by Armand Lee.The overall paint color is C2 Paint color 'Buckwheat'

Living Room, detail:The baby head sculpture is by Jay Strommen who exhibits at Perimeter Gallery and has been featured in SOFA. Most of his work is clay based and is pretty amazing; out of my entire collection, his pieces are my favorite.The architects lamp is vintage 50s and is from Scout on North Clark Street.The glass vessels are early 50s Venini. The stoppers are kept in in a drawer because I think they look odd.The large print is a piece by Jae Non that I purchase at The SAIC annual art sale.

Office:The desk is from Parallel Lines at Quinlans furniture on North Elston.The chair is vintage 50s from an alley and was recovered in Donghia fabric.The lamp is from the Brown Elephant with a custom painted shade.The painting is by Davmo and is a 'reclaimed' piece of art by Babe Nasset.The curtain is from Ikea.The rug is from Crate and Barrel

The other side of the office:The lamp is from Wright Auction House.The table is from the Unitarian Church garage sale.The rug is an antique silk Persian prayer rug.The pillow is a custom made leftover.

Bath:Mirror is from Target.Light bar is from Restoration Hardware.Shower curtain was custom made (it's pretty tall).Soap dispenser was from the discard bin at Bed Bath and Beyond.Reflected in the mirror is a weird fez baby by Jacob Walker called 'Moonlight Serenade'

Bedroom:Headboard was custom made from a 1940s tapestry I bought from Italy on Ebay.Bedding is Isaac Mizrahi from Target.Nightstand is from the Brown Elephant.Lamp is from Crate and Barrel.Art is by David Barnes.Paint is Benjamin Moore 2110-60 Pampas Grass.

Living Room, me:The chair is another piece from mom's basement. It was recovered by Eli Wyn upholstery on Elston.The brown glass orbs are form Crate and Barrel.The tent lamp is vintage Phoenix Day from the Brown Elephant Store on North Halsted.The Danish tile table is from Converso Modern.The large painting is late 1970s work from Russia by Kabikov.